By Fran Wood | CEO
The build up of anti-migrant rhetoric fuelled by social media activitists from countries far away from us, resulted in a schism in our society, even in Darlington, during this summer.
The donations we have received through GlobalGiving bring balance and hope to what we do - Thank you.
Our volunteers have the privilege of walking alongside those who have had to make the painful decision to leave everything they have known and endure a treacherous journey to safety and the unknown. As Warsan Shire, poem "Home", says, "No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark..."
Whilst international Migration has always remained stable at around 3% of the global population (How Migration Really Works by Hein de Haas 2023), those of them who are refugees seeking protection are 0.7% and 70% of them are sheltering in neighbouring countries (IRC Refugee facts and statistics - updated 3/06/2024). Those who arrive in our country for sanctuary are less than 0.01% (de Haas 2023) of international migrants. Despite all these figures it has been easy to drive a wedge of fear of "the other" in our society.
Our charity deals with individuals whose lives have been changed by conflict and persecution. Some have harrowing stories which are too painful to share but which we see in their eyes. Hearing your father being tortured in a neighbouring room in your home, seeing your brother shot in front of your home, carrying the evidence of severe beatings on your back. We have been able to offer specialist trauma counselling to some of these amazing people. Alongside this we run practical classes which attempt to help our asylum seekers to forget their traumas for a few hours. Our sewing project runs monthly sessions for twenty two men and women supported by our volunteers who look after the children, carry in heavy machines and bake cakes for the sessions. Our cooking project gives asylum seekers the opportunity to share their cultures through food, to use English in teaching us new recipes and sitting around the table to eat what has been made. Again, our volunteers carry in crates of equipment to the hired church hall kitchen. Above all of this our Mentors are the bridge of friendship between the vulnerable and our community. How wonderful it will be when we finally have a base we can make a home for all as well as store all of our equipment and offer activities on a daily basis.
Our footballers have had successes this year with two of them being recruited into our Darlington Football Team. One of our boxers has brought success to the club we send him to winning two regional matches already.
Here is what one of our asylum seeker has written - he is from Syria and just 20 yrs of age.
"In May 2024, I arrived in Darlo, a small town that welcomed me and became part of my bizarre journey. As I looked through the window of the blue van while entering the outskirts of town, I felt an inexplicable sense of comfort. I can’t quite explain the origin or nature of that feeling—I was just… calm. This was an emotion I had lost somewhere along the road. Being warmly welcomed by my soon-to-be roommates, and Carol, my house manager, made me feel even more at ease, as though I was opening a new chapter with an initial silver lining.A few days later, I was introduced to Dar and the staff who worked and volunteered to create a heartwarming and loving environment for newcomers in Darlington. My strongest bond was with Dee, who became one of the most reliable cornerstones I could lean on in various situations.However, the purpose of this article is to highlight how important sport was in the initial phase, especially for mental health. So, I’ll focus on that and save the good things I want to say about Dee for another time.When I first arrived in Darlo, and the U.K. in general, I was filled with uncertainty, particularly due to the growing political discussions in the country around the refugee situation. This took a toll on my mental health, and I imagine it did the same for others. At least I have the privilege to speak about it.In these types of circumstances—high-pressure and tense situations—people develop different coping mechanisms. For example, I tend to listen to metal music and cook. But I was introduced to a new way to cope with the pressure. One day at the Dar drop-in, Dee suggested I check out the boxing gym “Old School Boxing,” where one of my roommates had been training for a while. He took me with him one sunny day in June, through North Lodge Park."At that session, Mike greeted me with a smile that has never left his face to this day—and I hope it never does. He’s not only an amazing and professional coach, but also a wonderful human being who deserves the best.When I go to a boxing session, I lose all sense of reality, whether good or bad, positive or negative. I simply disconnect, which, in my opinion, is a necessity in this fast-paced life. It’s especially important when you’re far from family, uncertain of what the future holds, and grappling with a complex background and a long list of questions that could easily drive a 20-year-old to overthink themselves into the depths of anxiety.On behalf of myself, and I’m sure many others who have had similar experiences, THANK YOU. We hope to one day repay even a small part of our debt to this amazing community."We hope to have better news about our base when we share our next report.
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